Former NFL Player Wendell Smallwood Granted Early Release From Prison To Be With Dying 8-Year-Old Daughter

Former NFL running back Wendell Smallwood Jr. has been granted a path to early release from prison so he can spend his daughter's final days with her.

Smallwood, 32, has been incarcerated since 2024. He was serving an 18-month federal sentence after pleading guilty to fraud linked to COVID-19 relief programmes and tax returns. He was also serving a concurrent three-year New Jersey sentence for unlawful possession of an assault firearm.

His situation changed dramatically after his eight-year-old daughter, Mila, was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of kidney cancer. She has been diagnosed with diffuse anaplastic Wilms tumour, a particularly serious childhood cancer.

Chemotherapy has failed. Mila is now receiving palliative care focused on keeping her comfortable. Doctors have reportedly told the family she may have only days or weeks to live.

That left Smallwood's family fighting to get him home. Attorney Yaron Helmer stressed the urgency of the situation.

'They can't do anything except make her comfortable now,' Helmer said.

'This is not just a matter of legal semantics,' he added. 'It's about whether his daughter will hold her dad again.'

Judge Clears the Legal Obstacle

On Friday, 7 August, Gloucester County Superior Court Judge Renard Scott approved a motion to withdraw Smallwood's guilty plea in the New Jersey gun case.

The ruling removed the state sentence that had been running alongside his federal term. Prosecutors sought a stay of the decision, but the judge denied the request.

The legal argument was strengthened by a recent appellate ruling concerning New Jersey's assault weapons ban. The decision found the ban unconstitutional, giving Smallwood additional grounds to challenge the basis of his guilty plea.

Smallwood's conduct in federal custody also reportedly played a role. His lawyer said his good behaviour and participation in rehabilitation programmes were considered as officials assessed his release.

Helmer said Smallwood could be released as early as Monday, 17 August. The timing is crucial. Visits between father and daughter had become increasingly difficult as Mila's condition deteriorated.

The legal developments therefore carry consequences far beyond Smallwood's prison sentence. They could determine whether he is able to be beside his daughter during the final stage of her illness.

From Super Bowl Champion to Family Crisis

Smallwood rose to prominence at West Virginia University before entering the NFL as a fifth-round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles in 2016.

He spent three seasons in Philadelphia and was part of the Eagles' Super Bowl LII-winning squad. He later played for Washington and the Pittsburgh Steelers, before leaving the NFL after a six-season career. He recorded 956 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns.

His career was later overshadowed by his legal troubles. In December 2024, Smallwood pleaded guilty to federal charges involving fraudulent tax returns and applications for pandemic relief.

Prosecutors said he obtained hundreds of thousands of dollars through the schemes. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison and ordered to repay $645,000 (£478,000).

The news unsurprisingly prompted an emotional response online.

'So glad he could be there for her. I cannot imagine losing a child. Then not being there is worse,' one X user wrote.

'Good for them. No father should have to lose their child ever let alone not be able to be by her side,' another wrote.

For Smallwood and his family, the legal battle is now about something much more immediate than a sentence.